This invention relates to a cancer cell growth suppressor for suppressing the growth of cancer cells, and a cell differentiation inducer for promoting normal differentiation of human body cells, and a method of manufacturing the same.
Generally, substances having the function of erasing active oxygen to maintain and promote human health are attracting attention. Also, it is admitted that substances having such a function, such as vitamins and carotenoids, have effects on prevention of cancer.
For example, as a kind of capsicum of the Solanacede, there is one referred to as paprika or pimento. Its seed and peel contain capsaicin, which is a hot taste component, xcex2-carotene, capsanthin, lutein and cryptoxanthin as carotenoid-family pigments, etc.
Also, red powdery paprikas produced by removing seeds and stalks from ripe fruits of pimentoes (occidental red peppers) such as Hungarian pimentoes and drying the remaining are widely used as food materials for spices. As a kind of Hungarian paprikas, Capsicum Annum L.Var.grossumn is known. It is also called paradicsom paprika.
Among paradicsom paprikas, besides pure-family species, there are species in which one of the largebell type, pimento type and Hungarian paprika type and largeneapolytan type is hybridized (hereinafter F1 species). Paradicsom paprikas include species obtained by hybridization of F1 species (hereinbelow referred to as quaternary hybridization species) and backcross species of such hydridization species (subsequent hybridization species. Hereinafter referred to as F2 species).
Capsaicin and carotenoid-family pigments, which are components of Capsicum Annum L.Var.grossumn, have effect of suppressing carcinogenic viruses. Japanese patent publication 10-236968 discloses that extracts of paradicsom paprikas extracted by use of acetone, and ones obtained by extracting from the extract by use of hexane (main component: capsanthin) inhibit canceration of cells in a concentration-dependent manner by using a mixed cultivation method of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
But conventional paprika components called Capsicum Annum L.Var.grossumn or paradicsom paprikas comprise only extracts extracted in an organic solvent, and for their water-soluble components, no details are known. Thus such components have never been positively used as effective components of carcinostatics or nutritional food supplements.
The organic solvent extracts disclosed in the above publication have only activation inhibiting functions for Epstein-Barr virus (anti-carcinogenesis promoter function). It has not been known whether they have a function of suppressing growth of cells that have already cancerated.
An object of the present invention is to provide a cancer cell growth suppressor which uses effective components of paprikas called Capsicum Annum L.Var.grossumn (or paradicsom paprikas), and which not only has effects of preventing canceration but also acts on cells that have already cancerated and can suppress their growth.
According to this invention, there are provided a cancer cell growth suppressor and a cell differentiation inducer which contain as an effective component a water-soluble component of Capsicum Annuum L.Var.grossumn of a Solanacede plant.
The cancer cell growth suppressor according to the present invention has as its effective component a water-soluble component of Capsicum Annuum L.Var.grossumn, and as will be apparent from the results of the below-described Examples, its cancer cell growth suppressing function has been reliably recognized. Thus, it is extremely useful not only as a drug to be taken for cancer prevention but as a drug for cancer carrier or for prevention of recurrence.
Also, the cell differentiation inducer according to this invention, which is extremely high in the ability of promoting normal differentiation of human body cells, is used not only as a nutritional food supplement or a food additive but also as a medicine.
According to this invention, there is also provided a method of manufacturing a cancer cell growth suppressor or a cell differentiation inducer which comprises the steps of mixing dried powder of fruits of Capsicum Annuum L.Var.grossumn of a Solanacede plant for 40 hours or longer while maintaining them at normal temperature or higher, and separating the mixture into solid and liquid to obtain an aqueous solution or a water-soluble component for use as an effective component.
With the method of manufacturing the cancer cell growth suppressor or a cell differentiation inducer according to this invention, a component having a cancer cell growth suppressing property or differential inducing property, which would not be sufficiently extracted in an ordinary short-time water-soluble extracting step, can be extracted reliably. Thus, it is possible to efficiently manufacture a cancer cell growth suppressor or a cell differentiation inducer which contains an extremely useful component as a drug for treatment of cancer carriers or prevention of recurrence.
Other features and objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: